It's such a beautiful day for a drive, I only made it about one half of a mile before taking my first picture. Earlier when I posted these pictures of Jerusalem from the south, it was a cloudy, rainy day. This prompted me to take new photos. My bus passes by this way every morning. Below the Old City is always such an attractive view.
The Mount of Olives.
The City Center to the left (west) of the Old City.
Below on the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, you will notice some old, abandoned vehicles. These are vehicles in the 1948 War of Independence that were destroyed by the Arabs. In 1948, there was only one road from the west to Jerusalem. Jews in Jerusalem got "cut off" from water and food supplies. This was before helicopters. The Arab communities would have all residents bring rocks up and down the hills to pile on the road. When a Jewish convoy of trucks approached even with a bulldozer, the going was very slow, if not impossible because of the rocks. This gave the Arabs time to shoot at the drivers, destroy the vehicles, etc. Not until the Jews at night secretly built a second road a little further south, nicknamed the Burma Road, were the inhabitants of Jerusalem rescued. For references, read a book like "Oh, Jerusalem" or "Genesis:1948". The State of Israel decided to leave the abandoned vehicles as a reminder of the price they paid to become a state. Today they need to set one of these vehicles in the yards of some of the politicians that are willing to divide God's Land.
After coming down out of the Judean Mountains where Jerusalem is, I turned north on a new road called Highway 6. It's a toll road built in the 1990's to "bypass" the Arab towns under the control of the Palestinian Authority. This is either Tulkarm or Taibe. You can pick out the Arab villages real easily because of the mosques. The mosques are to be the tallest structure in any Arab town. Israel is a very high tech country. There are no toll booths on the toll road. Israel reads the license plate and then sends you a bill. I rented my car from El Dan and had to sign a form acknowleding that if I drove on one of these roads, I would be responsible for the toll.
The mosques like below light up green at night. The same way the Empire State Building did on the last day of Ramadan this year. What a shame for New York to do that.
Below is the security fence that is being built between the "so-called" borders. Netanya, a large Jewish resort town on the Mediterranean coast is just a few miles west of where I am right now. During the last 15 years of the peace process, Netanya has been hit several times with suicide bombers that came out of Tulkarm.
After headning north, then back east for awhile. I came to my turn for Tel Megiddo. The sign is right in front of either an IDF post or just a heavily fortified police post. The town of Jenin is just south of here. Lots of bad guys in Jenin.
Not a pretty photo below but looking through the intersection is the Valley of Armageddon. In the distance is Mount Tabor on the right. I'm going to pay my 23 shekels and walk up Tel Megiddo to get better photos.
Entrance sign to Tel Megiddo. A historical "tel" is hill where one city is built upon another city. These places are thousands of years old. So at one time there is a city, then it is destroyed, then another one built on top of it, then it's also destroyed, etc. Israel has several such "Tels"; Tel Megiddo; Tel Dan; Tel Hazor; Tel Bet Shean; etc. Tel Aviv is only hundred years old and just adopted the theme of the Biblical Lands. Aviv is "spring". Spring Hill would be the translation.
The Valley of Megiddo is vast and it will take several photos to show the panorama. No wonder hundred's of thousands can be gathered here at one time. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Revelation 16:14. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Revelation 16:16.
In the center of this photo the city in white is Nazereth. The Lord Jesus grew up and ministered in and around the Valley of Megiddo.
In the distance just to the right is Mount Tabor (round at the top). It is located at the other end of the valley. Deborah and Barak in the Book of Judges (1200-1300 years before the Lord Jesus came to Nazereth) are one story regarding Mount Tabor. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. Judges 4:14
Below Mount Tabor is just to the left and the mountain on the right and the southern end of the valley is Mount Gilboa. This is where King Saul and his son Jonathan fell several hundred years later after Deborah and Barak. So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 1st Samuel 31:8
Below looking due south towards Jerusalem with Mount Gilboa on the left. The Valley of Megiddo is also Biblically known as the Valley of Jezreel. Gidion fought here in the Book of Judges. Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the abiezrites gathered behind him. Judges 6:33-34.
Another view south of the Valley of Jezreel. King Ahab of Israel (Samaria) and Jezebel were here. And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 1st Kings 21:1..... And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." 1st Kings 21:23-24.
Below are the ruins of Tel Megiddo. King Solomon restored Megiddo as one of his fortresses.
And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 1st Kings 9:15.
And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 1st Kings 9:15.
Below portions of the Tel that may be excavated in the future.
Good King Josiah fell at Megiddo. In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. II Kings 23:29-30.
Good King Josiah fell at Megiddo. In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. II Kings 23:29-30.
The entrance to ancient Megiddo.
Looking back to where I had taken the photos.
Driving about halfway thru the valley, I stopped to take this photo. Nazereth would be just north but I was headed east through Afula towards Tiberias located on the Sea of Galilee.
This is a good view of Nazereth in the distance. You can see it is on a hill. When the Lord Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, those in Nazereth wanted to throw Him off the cliff. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph’s son?" He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’" Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. Luke 4:16-30. My drive up north to Vered HaGalil will be continued in the next posting.
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